Poodle Skirt

For those of you that know me or follow me, which would be my two loyal followers (Tessa! and my other follower who remains anonymous), you know that I love polka dots!!  In fashion they remind me of a time gone by and I am also a bit of a fan of retro rockabilly style. Plus I just find them so fun!

So in my polka dot madness I went and bought a really cute Poodle Skirt that I saw on Ebay.  I have taken my polka dot fondness to new heights! 

I thought that this crazy purchase deserved a layout all itself, so here it is!  And yes, of course, there had to be polka dots involved in the layout.

I really had a lot of fun with this layout and actually pulled it together in under 45 minutes, a rarity for me.  I didn't want a plain background so I glued some paper called BeLoved by Fancy Pants onto the Simple Stories red cardstock insert that comes with the red Sn@p  binder.

Then it was just a matter of adding the picture and the title, which is simple and easy - Poodle Skirt, using polka dot letters of course!

Then a few further embellishments and stickers and voila, I'm done! Easy peasy!

I like the polka dot mad result!

The final page!

SUPPLIES |  I started off by mounting paper called BeLoved by Fancy Pants from a Studio Calico kit onto the heavy cardstock inserts that come with the Simple Stories Sn@p albums, this one being from the red album and also on the backside of the layout I did for Five Guys here. I added a strip of black and white washi tape by Queen & Co. down the right hand side of the page.  I added a black decorative border to the photo to make the picture pop a bit more.  The polka dot puffy letters for the title are by Making Memories and oh so appropriate for this layout. All the enamel dots and the enamel love heart are by October Afternoon. The yellow chipboard circle with the (3) love hearts is by Studio Calico. The yellow "Hello" chipboard piece and the grey "like this" sticker are both Simple Stories. The red chipboard star to the left of the P in Poodle is by Simple Stories. The "Seriously" sticker and the circular sticker with the glasses are both Simple Stories DIY Boutique.

Thanks for dropping in to have a look!

Happy Scrapping!

Christine   : )

Cutie Pie

 Today I just wanted or had planned to do a simple page with patterned background paper with only two pictures and a contrasting horizontal border across the middle of the page.  However this page ended up taking me a bit longer than I had imagined.

As I am trying to use up a lot of my old stock I had my paper picked out and my photos laid out on the page, quite quickly, which I thought would be the biggest part of creating the layout.  But I then struggled with the embellishments, what looked good and what belonged where. 

I was just working with the colours within the background paper or variations of them, so mainly the grey and coral, with some accents of black.  But the "final" page just didn't feel right.  I say "final" because it didn't stay like that.  I played around with it a bit more and felt that it needed some more colour, something brighter, a pop of colour so I thought the small teal accents would work well with the other colours.

I added a few enamel dots around the page and as well a blue phrase sticker along the bottom that read "couldn't be better".  I also added some torn paper bits using the patterned paper from the horizontal border.  I think it just helped balance out the page.

I like how it eventually turned out.

So much for a quick simple page!

The actual final page.

SUPPLIES |  Background paper is by called Nook & Pantry by BasicGrey. The border is a dog newspaper themed paper mounted on dark red Bazzill cardstock.  All the stickers, including the ones spelling out "Pie" are by Simple Stories. Chipboard love heart is by Studio Calico. The black button is by My Minds Eye. The yellow designer brad is by Basic Grey. The black arrow designer brad is by My Minds Eye from the Find Your Wings & Fly line. The alphas spelling out "Cutie" are Thickers by American Crafts called Jewelry Box.

And the "before" page (that I wasn't completely happy with).

Thanks for dropping in to have a look!

Christine  : )

French Connection Style

I have been coveting a mustard yellow handbag for ages!!  Simply had to have one, but let me tell you, they are like a four leaf clover or unicorn - very rare, or so it seems.  There was one at Debenhams that I wanted but I couldn't bring myself to pay the kind of money that they were asking for, I won't tell you how much.  I watched it for a long time, waiting for it to go in the sales and it did, but it still wasn't cheap enough.  And then sadly when I went back to check on it, it had sold out.  So I started searching Shopstyle.co.uk for a similar style and colour.

 

Right now you might be saying if I couldn't afford one at Debenhams then how could I afford a French Connection bag.  Well, in the search for a new mustard yellow bag after my much coveted one at Debenhams disappeared off the market I just happened to find one through Shopstyle that was more than 70% off (which for me made it the price of a "normal" handbag) and coincidentally by French Connection.  So, I grabbed it before this one disappeared too and I was happy that I did!

Right around the time that I found the handbag I also found a mustard yellow scarf on Modcloth.com that I just HAD TO HAVE!! (as I wanted one to go with the outfit I was pulling together).  Plus it had polka dots and for anyone who knows me, they know that I am mad for polka dots.  So it was a must have!  I was a happy little camper when they both arrived and matched perfectly, as this isn't always a given when purchasing separate items over the internet.

 I really enjoyed creating this layout and it came out of my head quite easily (for me that is) as it had been in there, bouncing around for a few days and was screaming to get out.  I played around with some water colour paints by splattering and dripping them onto the page, not something that I use a lot in my layouts but I have to say I like the way it turned out.  I guess in some ways I am quite a "traditional" scrapbooker, but worked outside of the box today. Very fun!

 

The bigger irony of this post is that I grew up a tomboy so had never imagined that I could get excited about a handbag and a scarf, but there you go!  

SUPPLIES | Background paper is simple white Bazzill cardstock.  All of the rounded edge cards are Project Life from the Sunshine line.  The black polka dot paper under the word Fashion to the left of the photo is by Bella Blvd, it came from one of their "strips" paper.  The black & white striped paper on the right of the photo (is a scrap) and I believe it's by Simple Stories.  The black & white chipboard letters spelling out "Fashion" are by American Crafts called Kitten.  The grey stickers spelling out "Style" are Simple Stories called Typeset. The enamel dots & enamel heart at the top and bottom of the page are by October Afternoon called Daily Flash, Simple Stories D.I.Y. and Twine & Ink.  The black mini button brad at the top right corner of the page is by Making Memories.

 

I wanted to use yellow and white as my primary colours and then the black and grey as accents colours.  Originally I was going to square off the rounded PL cards but once I laid it out on the page I liked the look of it so left it. I wish all my layouts were as quick as this one, that I could create it in my head and then just put it onto paper the instant I sit down at my craft table!

 

 

Thanks for dropping by for a visit!

Hope you'll leave a comment!

 

Christine x  : ) 

 

 

Five Guys

I really struggled with this page, went round and round with it.  I wanted to keep it fairly simple in terms of colour and paper.  I had originally imagined using this background page but then didn't like it and switched the paper around more than 4 or 5 times, becoming increasingly frustrated.  Nothing seemed to work, nor did the embellishments I was laying down on the paper.  It just didn't feel right.  Funnily enough I ended up back on this paper. 

 

Being American and having been to Five Guys in the US I am quite familiar with them but Simon had yet to experience the greatness of Five Guys.  I had heard one had opened in London but that was a long way to go for a cheeseburger, even though they are that good.  So I was really pleased when I heard that one had opened in Reading, which is just down the road for us.  We go to The Oracle (a shopping centre) there in Reading quite often to the cinema so I thought that one night before the movies we would pop over to try out Five Guys.

 

I have to admit it was nice to see something familiar "from home" and it's at times like these that I then do long for home ground.  Although I was taking him there to experience the cheeseburgers I just couldn't resist and ordered myself a hotdog instead.  I LOVE hotdogs (and yes I know how awful they are for me) but they are something that always reminds me of home and my childhood.  Plus they are pretty much non-existent in this country.  Whenever we go to a faire or carnival I get excited when I see the burger vans that are also advertising "hotdogs".  Typically though it is quite disappointing as it is usually just a sausage masquerading as a hotdog in a bread roll.  I think they need to learn the concept of what a hotdog is, which I'm sure Five Guys could set them straight on, as well as great All American burgers!

 

Simon had the cheeseburger with loads of extras and couldn't get it down fast enough.  It was so delicious and I was even cheeky enough to ask for a bite as I simply couldn't resist.  Its nice to know that there is now one so close to us and would like to say that we will be going back ALL the time, but I suppose they probably aren't the best for your waistline.  However, I will be savouring them on the occasions that we do go back!

 

SUPPLIES | Background page is the hard card inserts that come with the Simple Stories Sn@p albums, this one came with the red album. The letter stickers spelling out Five Guys are by Simple Stories - the small ones called Typeset and the large simply Letters.  The 5 of Hearts playing card is a real card from a deck of cards we picked up at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  The pink 5 cent ticket is by Recollections which I think I purchased at Michael's while in the states.  The square metal tag next to it is by American Crafts and is ancient.  The 5 ticket on the right side of the cheeseburger photo is also by Recollections.  The yellow "Cheese" stickers is by Simple Stories.  The curly arrow is by Simple Stories from their new DIY Boutique line.  The numbers at the bottom are by Simple Stories - Letters. "Today's Story" is the paper name strip cut off the bottom of paper by Echo Park from their original Photo Freedom (?) kit. The red "Heart this" sticker is by Simple Stories.

 

 

Thanks for dropping by to have a look at my Five Guys page.

Hope you enjoyed it.

 

Please feel free to leave any comments.

 

Thanks!

Christine  : )

 

 

Tug of War

This layout is about none other than Rupert!  A subject that I so rarely choose to scrap about.  Ha, you say! 

When we go to the park for his walks one of his favourite games is Tug of War!  Thought it would be cute to take a couple pictures and document this.

 Actually, thinking about it, it is dependent on his moods believe it or not.  If he is quite wound up and full of endless energy, he will want to rampantly play a relentless game of fetch.  However, if he is feeling slightly agitated or annoyed then fetch is off the table and instead he wants to play tug of war with his stick of choice and he can be quite tenacious about it.  His walk isn't complete without either a game of fetch or tug of war, usually the latter.

 

I wanted to use the green Simple Stories paper as my background paper as I thought it would mirror the colour of the grass nicely.  However I wanted to add a bit more colour to the layout and thought the strip of the PL Blush 4x6 card sticking out along the right side of the photo would do nicely.  I then noticed that the "Good Story" 3x4 card in the same line would go well with the colours on the 4x6 card.  So I stuck this along the top of the pocket, between the picture and the background paper.

SUPPLIES USED | The lime green background paper is by Simple Stories from the DIY Boutique line called Boutique Stripes Green and is doubled sided with black & white lines on the other side. I then mounted the photo onto a PL Blush card which I then mounted on the green paper. On the top, on the left, is a "tab" of the top of  PL card from the same Blush line.  The "Life is Good" sticker is by Bella Blvd from their Alpha bits line, this one called Thankful designed by Stephanie Hunt.   The blue and pink stars are by Studio Calico.  The stickers spelling out "Tug" are by Simple Stories called Sn@p Stickers Letters.  The green "of" letters are by LilyBee Designs from the Sweet Shoppe line and the letters spelling out "War" are by the same.

 

 With the letter stickers and the stars for the title I wanted to bring out the colours from the PL card so chose colours that would compliment it or were similar to them.  I like how it all came together. I then added one further sticker "Life is Good" by Bella Blvd along the bottom of the pic.

 

 A shot of the whole page.

 

Thanks for stopping by to have a look!

Christine  : )

My Trophy "Husband's" Scrapbook Page

Hello!

 

As I am a regular on Studio Calico I have been following along with One Scrappy Doctor (Natalie Elphinstone) for the monthly reveal with her Trophy Husband filming the kit unpacking video.  Which has made for good viewing!

http://onescrappydoctor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/sandlot-reveal.html

 

In passing I mentioned it to my partner and I should preface this with that ever since he knew I was a scrapper, he has sort of taken the piss when I ask him sometimes how he's going to spend his evening or afternoon.

 

"I'm going to do a bit of scrapping and then smashing.  Or maybe, just to switch it up a bit, do some smashing and then scrapping." (Mind you this is said by me now in that sort of mocking Bert & Ernie voice, that's meant to be his voice, that all us girlfriends & wives take on when answering questions for them, asked by us, to our significant others).

 

So, in mentioning Natalie's Trophy Husband video to him this week, as I only just watched it yesterday, he said to me tonight when I asked whether he was going out this evening, he replied with "no, I'm going to stay in and finally do that smashing scrap page I've been planning on doing."

 

Okay, Mr. Smartypants I said, let's see you do it then!  I threw down the gauntlet.  I figured he would just say I'm too busy which he actually did "I've got a busy evening ahead of me" but then proceeded to sit down at my scraptable and say "whatta ya got" (albeit not in that Bert & Ernie mocking tone).

 

Very well then, game on! We proceeded to select a picture that he was happy to scrap.  I cropped it, printed it and cut it to a 4x6 size with my paper cutter.  We then picked a background paper.  I offered him a multitude of choices - plain, cardstock, patterned: striped, swirly, polka dots, etc.  You name it, I offered it.  He went with the American Crafts wooden fencing, as I call it.

(Sorry not sure on the actual name.)

 (The Planning Process - trying to decide if he liked this sticker.  He thought it appropriate as it says "you've left paw prints on my heart".)

I then asked if he wanted to include a journaling card and showed him a few examples of where I've used them for actual journaling or when I've just used the tabbed word(s) along the top of the card.  I got out an overabundance of supplies - stickers, mini alphas, big alphas, enamel dots, chipboard stars, tags, chipboard buttons, flair.  Again, you name it, I pretty much got it out.  Just to show him what his options were.  Admittedly, maybe I was a tad bit too excited that he was actually scrapping! 

 He picked a few more dog appropriate stickers, mostly from the Simple Stories Dog line.  We added one (me & my dog) along the bottom and then another (love me, love my dog) along the top.

He then decided that he needed something along the top right of the picture as it was a bit bare there, so he selected a 2x2 Insta Square piece from the Sn@p dog line by Simple Stories. (To be honest I was quite proud that he 'saw the hole' and decided to put something there.) 

(The Final Page)

 

 I asked if he wanted to add any embellishments, again a lot of my stock came out.  He said it was too much to choose from and sometimes "less is more".  He did however want to play around with my dog paw print stamp and add some pawprints to the page.  So I showed him how to do this and then we finished it with the date stamp in the upper right hand corner.

 

And there you go!

His first (and to be honest) probably last scrap page.

 

He did conclude this by saying "see, now I've smashed".  Whereby I said, "hold on a minute my friend, I'm afraid you haven't. That is something entirely different."

 

The look that crossed his face was priceless.

 

I did ask if he could see the enjoyment in it to which he replied yes but he said to be honest he felt there was too much choice.  Maybe I should take a page from his book as I know a lot of us scrappers are always saying we spend more time planning and organizing than we actually do scrapping.

 

A thoroughly enjoyable evening for me!

 

Thanks Natalie for the inspiration.

 

Christine x

 

Dog Tired & Goofing Around

Well, the Muse is still in the house so I have been scrapping away today. 

 I have actually been contemplating whether I will continue with the whole PL style aspect of scrapbooking.  I was never really a big fan of the actual Project Life product line when it first came out and found that I instead leaned more towards the Simple Stories Life Documented range.  I just preferred the 6 x 8 size, liked the bright colours and the products they had to offer in that line.  However, in the past few days when I've been creating the "traditional" layouts (even though they are only 6 x 8) I find that I am enjoying these more than the detailed pocket page layouts.

 Granted I am already documenting monthly, although I did start out weekly, so this is or should be a more laid back way of keeping track of the day-to-day things.  But I am finding that I still fall behind, even though this is a more looser approach and I just don't like feeling guilty over something that is meant to be relaxing and help me de-stress from the woes of day to day life.  Yes, I know we only put upon ourselves what we allow.  But even the giants, the old pro's and the dinosaurs of the industry (if you read their blogs) they too feel guilty as well when they fall behind or cannot keep up. So it almost seems inevitable, the feeling guilty that is. That's why I've been thinking that I may just go back to scrapping when I feel like it with no time or calendar restraints adhered to. Not keeping track of my day-to-day weekly or monthly but just whenever.  Plus, if you look at the way the PL style was marketed it was supposed to make scrapbooking faster and easier but it has become so involved now (and yes again, it is what you choose to make it).  If you look at all the giants or gurus that everyone follows, most of their PL layouts are not simple and basic, a lot of time and work goes into them.  But again, these are just my thoughts.

 

Moving along.  I have put the journaling about this layout hidden behind it as one, there wasn't enough room to include it along with the photos and two, its kind of a bit private.  In short it talks about how in my 20's I was starting to learn to love myself, figuring out who I was and what I was about, developing self confidence and building my self esteem.  Eventually I got to a place where I liked who I was with a healthy dose of self confidence but not arrogant about it.  However as of late, I haven't been loving myself very much and was pondering as to whether this is due to circumstances - being made redundant over a year ago, struggling with money, have relationship problems and finding a place to live OR whether it is just a stage in my life, such as age and being in my 40's, learning to re-adjust and find myself again.

SUPPLIES | The black and white background paper is from my stash, old 7 Gypsies Paddington Paper called Piccadilly. The stickers spelling out "Goofing" and "Selfies" are both by Simple Stories - the first from the D.I.Y. line and the latter called Typeset.  The pink and white love heart I cut out of the middle of a PL card. The tiny alphas are by Kaisercraft. The "Today" circle, the three pink hearts on the grey background and the pink polka dot paper are all scraps from PL cards that I cut up.  As well, the "Read Me" tab is a scrap from a PL card stuck onto another PL card to create the journaling.  The lettering for that is by Simple Stories. The pink camera is from the Borders paper by Bella Blvd.

 

Nonetheless I am trying to get better, or get back to, loving myself.  As we (scrapbookers) typically don't include ourselves in our scrapping and as well, being our own worst critics I thought it might help me in some way, especially right now to include myself more in my layouts/pages.  So was goofing around (hence the title), taking some pictures of myself and trying to love what I saw or what was captured. I wanted the goof part of goofing to stand out (as that's what I am!) so used the pink letter and grey letters to make it pop more.  Trying to have a bit of fun with it.

 

For something a little bit less "serious" I have also included a layout today called Dog Tired.  Simon has been working really hard lately as he's been full on with work.  He has also been working some Saturday's just to stay on top of it.  This particular Saturday he came home and crashed out on the sofa.  As per usual, whenever and wherever Simon is, Rupert has to be right along side him.  Captured this moment as they were sleeping as I thought it was so heart-warming. Decided to keep this one simple, don't think it needed much detail.  

SUPPLIES | The "Cherish" sticker is by Simple Stories Typeset and the "Life is Ruff" sticker tag is by Simple Stories Dog pack.  The background mock notebook paper that the photo is mounted on came from the original Simple Stories Sn@p kit. The brown and white polka dot washi tape is by Queen & Co.

SUPPLIES | Black alphas spelling "Dog" are by LilyBee Designs called Sweet Shoppe.  The love heart and the letters spelling "Tired" are by Simple Stories Dog pack.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look and letting me share my layouts with you!

Christine  x